Time just goes by....

Every day I say to myself, "ok I'm going to blog tonight finally" and evening I say to myself "eh, tomorrow". 

The days just FLY by. I run out of time so quickly. It's just crazy!! 

But I managed to get it done today so I'm here to share with you my favorite 10 baby things that have been amazing these first 10 weeks!! 

In no particular order....

ONE

The Boppy Lounger 

My cousin bought me this for my shower. It wasn't on my registry but she said she got one and it was amazing and her little girl loves it. 

Sure enough. It's Austins favorite spot to be for naps! It's also great to bring with us to family's house that isn't kid ready to have a good spot for him. Now, this is gonna be put away once he can move out/off it but for now it's great! 

TWO

Burts Bees Baby EVERYTHING

I got one outfit from my moms friend at my shower and oh my goodness it's the softest, cutest thing ever.

I went to Target and got some more too because I just couldn't resist!! 

 They make the best bibs too 

They slip over the head and don't budge. They are super soft and lined with terry cloth. And they wash beautifully!

THREE

Muslin Swaddle Blankets 

These are so stretchy and light weight. They keep little man swaddled up so nicely! We have 3 of them and they get lots of use!! 

FOUR 

Car Seat Canopy

These were "free" when I first signed up at Motherhood Maternity. Just had to pay shipping. At first I wasn't going to get one but my two cousins who just had babies did and I saw them in person and loved it!

Don't mind how I look. Lol this was Mother's Day and I was just plain exhausted! And it was COLD! But the cover is perfect!! 

FIVE

Pottery Barn Kids Diaper Bag

I had a different bag on my registry from Babies R Us and received two of them but this one was on my PBK registry and I just loved it. I didn't get it for my shower but I got it for myself after Austin was born (ya know, since he arrived the night of my shower and all)

It's so roomy and big. I love it!!

SIX

Rock N Play

Another item I didn't initially get. My girlfriend recommended this to us and I honestly didn't see the need but oh my how it's been wonderful! I decided to get it the morning before we were going to my aunts for my grandfathers retirement dinner. I said to my mom oh my gosh where am I going to put him other than his car seat which isn't comfortable!! Enter The Rock N Play. It folds up and fits in my trunk to cart around. He loves napping in it too 

SEVEN

Mama Baby App

When we came home from the hospital I was writing every detail on a notepad on a clipboard. Lol my cousin, who is a L&D nurse, told me to lose the clipboard and get an app. So I got this one and have been using it since. I mainly use it to track when and how much he eats

It's perfect. You can set alarms and such. But I use it pretty lightly just as a tracker.

EIGHT

My Rocker\Glider

I knew I wanted one of these since before I was pregnant. I was back and forth on a rocker with an ottoman or a recliner rocker. I'm so happy I got the rocker and ottoman. I spend lots of time rocking this sweet boy in this chair. We read him stories here and soothe him. It's just perfect. 

I hope to do the nursery "reveal" next! Jeez I'm so behind!!

NINE

Boon Grass

I love these for drying all things bottle. We use the Dr. Browns glass bottles and they have 4 additional parts and the bottle and cap! So we need lots of drying space. We use the Dr. Browns drying rack too but typically only for the bottles. We use this for the accessories and paci's and what not. 

The little tree thing is perfect for paci's!!

TEN

Dr. Brown's Bottle Warmer 

Originally I was breast feeding. So all this bottle stuff wasn't even a thought. I didn't register for any of it. I registered for nursing covers and nipple creams and nursing tops etc. I had my pump and all the accessories. But 3 weeks in, it just wasn't working for us. I was pretty upset but at the end of the day - my baby needs to eat. Especially after his horrible jaundice and being back in the hospital for 36 hours. 

Anyway - so this is how I warm my bottles up. Typically I make several and keep them in the fridge for quick grabbing. I use the liquid formula because the powder stuff seems like a lot of work and I personally prefer liquid. So I have a bunch ready to go then grab one or and stick it in the warmer for 3:20 and its perfect!! I was boiling water and placing the bottle in there but it took FOREVER!! This is a since! And... A total lifesaver at 2am!! 

So that's what's working for us these days. He's now 10 weeks and getting bigger every day. We are still just so in awe of this little person in our lives and I feel so blessed to be his mama!! 

~Tiffany~

Living with S.A.R.D.S.

S.A.R.D.S.

Sudden

Aquired

Retinal

Degeneration 

Syndrome 

5 little words that changed our world. 

So as you know I went into unexpected labor 4 weeks early with Austin. We were released from the hospital on a Thursday and back the next Monday with jaundice. That in itself was crazy. A week and a half from when we came home the second time, Ted was back working like normal. And I was feeling good about everything so I decided to venture out to my moms. I handed Jake a treat before I left like usual and he seemed to not see me handing it to him but I chalked it up to the fact that he was half asleep on the couch. 

Fast forward to that evening. Ted had met me at my moms and we ate dinner together. When we got home, I let Jake out to potty and gave him a treat when he came back in. (He's spoiled. We know. It's worse now haha) This time I noticed something was wrong. This was the evening of Thursday April 31st. I yelled for Ted. I told him something was wrong with Jake. He was looking like, beyond me and above me. I held the treat and kinda waved it a bit and he didn't see me do any of it. I literally felt my insides fall to my feet. Ted called the vet that minute and they told us to bring him right in. Luckily they are literally 3 minutes away. Ted came back shortly after, in tears. He told me, and I quote "Dr. W says he's blind and we don't know why" that news just absolutely blew us away. Why? He just turned 6?! He's been healthy. He has all his shots? What did we do wrong? What IS this? Cataracts? Glaucoma? Brain tumor?!!?

When we took a closer look, we could totally see his eyes looked weird. Buggy, dialated and blue grayish. 

So he referred us to a canine opthamologist. Well, 2 different ones. I called the first and their next available appointment was 4/11. No. 

I called the next and got him an appointment for the next day. So we watched him carefully that night. Had him sleep between us in bed. And basically cried a bunch imagining what could possibly be wrong. Now keep in mind we have a 2 week old who just got over jaundice and was having a terrible time nursing from his mama. 

It was TOUGH.  

So we dropped Austin off to my mom who was on spring break from work. And we both went to bring him for his eye exam. I'm so thankful my mom helped us because we both wanted to be at that appointment and needed to hear the information. We met with the most amazing doctor at the vet hospital. He did a few tests. He had all sorts of contraptions that he wore to look deep into Jakes eyes. 

No cataracts. 

No glaucoma. 

So he said to us - well it's one of two things. He either has what we call SARDS or it's something neurological. 

The next step was a test for SARDS. At this point we researched EVERYTHING we could on this syndrome. It was scary. Total and complete blindness. 

No cure. No fix. Nothing. 

Forever. 

However. 

This WAS the lesser of the two evils. 

Wednesday 4/6. 

The test to confirm SARDS. 

Tuesday night I picked my brothers van up so I could get the baby and the blind dog from my house to my moms so she again could watch him while I took Jake. Ted was working and I was on my own for this one. Plus, they told me Jake would be heavily sedated and need to lay down on the ride home. 

In 30 minutes - we had the diagnosis. 

Jake was blind. 

We couldn't do anything. 

My heart broke. I fell apart in the car. He can't see?? 

That's it. Lights out. 

Nothing. 

How awful. How sad for him. No more running on the beach off the leash. No more chasing squirrels in the backyard. No more head out the window in the car (at least not until we get doggles so his eyes don't dry - blind dogs eyes are more sensitive and wind isn't good) 

This wonderful vet told us not to worry and that he would adapt. 

"Just remember - you're his eyes now "

We had lots of advice given to us from the eye doc....

Move anything dangerous to him in his immediate environment.

Don't move his bed and food/water. Keep a radio or tv on in the area he spends most of his time in most so he can hear where his familiar spot is. 

Use clickers. 

Bang or tap on the door when he's in the backyard so he knows how to get inside. 

Get him an alert chain for his collar...

"My name is Jake, I am blind"

"Please call my mom or dad immediately if found xxx-xxxx"

Get squeaky toys to throw so he can still "fetch" 

Keep his dog bed covered in a scent he's familiar with when we're gone like a used shirt or blanket from our bed.

Talk to him more. 

Remind him that it's ok. 

Teach him new cue words...

"careful"  "easy"  "step up" 

Reward him a lot the first few weeks. 

Remind him how loved he is. 

And remember.....

It's harder on you than it is on him. He will adapt. He doesn't know this isn't supposed to happen. You do. You're gonna grieve. You're gonna miss your dogs vision. You're gonna be sad for him. He will adapt. 

He WILL adapt. 

He will be ok. 

It's been a tough pill to swallow. No doubt. We cried. And I know some people think "it's just a dog" blah blah but it's not that. He's our first baby. He's a helpless animal, he's our pet, he's a family member who relies on his humans. But the bar is higher now. We need to be his eyes. We need to help him 24/7 for a while. We can do it. 

We will do it.

And we are all adjusting great. I'm so thankful that I'm not working anymore and have the ability to be home with him so he's not alone. I've spent a lot of time teaching him new commands. He's really good with "careful" and "easy". If he's outside and about to walk into a tree or something, I say careful to him and he stops and turns his direction. I'm so proud of how well he's doing. It's hard when he's groggy. He knocks low things over. We got rid of our fire pit and our coffee table because he just couldn't manuver them. We're adjusting so it's easier for him and we're doing so well. He's our fur baby. And he's spoiled rotten and we love him so much. Sure it's a lot. Especially for this tired new mama. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Now our focus is on getting around as a family with him. Being in the back seat with the baby just does NOT work. He can't see him. It's not good. So we're getting a bigger car. A crossover SUV thing. Something lower than a SUV but roomier than a car and with a hatch. Just waiting for the perfect one. 

I'm very specific. :)

So that's our SARDS story. 

Thanks for reading about our Jakey Boy. 

Have a fantastic Thursday! 

~Tiffany~

Mid Month Confessions - May

So it's 8:30 at night and I'm just getting to write this post. Better late than never right? This is gonna be short and sweet, but full of goodness!

1. I'm 9 weeks postpartum and I genuinely miss my OB. I saw him and his staff every week basically (high risk) from January until Austin was born. I actually thought this was odd - but apparently it's not and apparently lots of women feel this way. 

2. I still eat ice cream every night as if I were pregnant. And I have no shame. My current favorite is Hagen Däs Belgium Chocolate. 

3. Having a newborn and a blind dog is hard. Having one or the other would've been plenty to deal with, but both at once is a bit more than I can handle on some days. My plan is to post all about what happened to Jake and the adjustments we've had to make but dang, mama is TIRED!

4. I want a bigger car. I'm refusing to back down on the topic either. Ted humored me and stopped at Toyota one day so I can test drive the car I want and of course I loved it. So I keep reminding him how we need something that Jake can get in the back of because him and the baby in the back seat DOES NOT WORK!!! I want a Toyota Venza. But only in white. And only the fully loaded model (XLE) like my Camry. 

5. I swore I wouldn't be the mom who let my baby use a pacifier. I read all the negatives. Bla bla bla. But yea....

5. I haven't washed my kitchen floor in more time than I care to confess. Let's just leave it at that. 

6. I still ask Ted to rub my feet like he did when I was pregnant. And he does, most of the time. For whatever reason my feet always hurt... But being preggo was significant so he rubbed them all the time... 

7. I've contemplated moving to Texas. I've looked at houses. I've figured out costs. This is not an option nor will it ever be for our family. And quite honestly I never want to leave New Jersey. It's just a weird thing. 

8. I've cooked dinner less than 15 times in 2 months. I mean I've thrown dinner together, but actually put a lot of effort in and cooked a full yummy meal - yeah not so much. 

9. I've been wearing maternity tops because they are just more comfortable. I have one pair of jeans that fit me post baby. Assists from that one pair it's leggings all day every day. 

10. Ted and I got to go out for a date last weekend and it was amazing. My mom watched Austin and I have nothing but trust in her of course. It was glorious to drink a beer and eat my meal and enjoy my husband without worrying about or feeding the baby. I mean, I love my little man more than life and snuggles the crap outta him when we got back, but a few hours with the hubby alone was fun. 

This week I need to blog about a lot of things to catch up!! 

~Tiffany~

Annoyed

I had an entire blog post 95% done for today on my favorite baby things and the screen froze and I lost it all. So until I RE-DO the whole dang thing, this is what it is today... 

Sometimes technology isn't on my side. So frustrating. 

Life Lately...

......has been so so busy! 7 weeks and 3 days with this little man has gone by SO quickly! 

I've gotten in to a little routine with him and am good with going out with him now. It may take me until noon to actually leave after he eats then I bathe him then I eat then he eats again then I shower. lol 

But it's been amazing. Nothing in the world compares to being a mama. And nothing in the world is sweeter than seeing my amazing husband become an even more amazing daddy....

I'm kind of obsessed with dressing him super ridiculously cute. And my absolute favorite clothes at the moment are Burts Bees Baby... I mean....

It has a matching bib too!

Since we've been home from the hospital, we've gone to Kohl's and Shoprite and a few other public places. Mostly though, we go to my moms. I can't wait till she's done working for the summer so we can hang there all the time. 

Last week, my mom watched him for me so I could get a much needed hair cut and color. It's amazing how a little hi lites and trim make you feel brand new!

And since Jakes SARDS diagnosis, we're talking about a bigger car with a hatch for the poor pup to get in. And honestly. Since I absolutely adore my Camry, a Toyota Venza is really all I'm considering. Well that and a Range Rover of course but let's keep it real. The Venza is almost identical to my Camry, just better. 

I've also gotten back into the swing of cooking dinner. And as much as I enjoyed NOT doing so, I genuinely love cooking for my husband and I.

I made this recipe (later on that) and omg it was amazing. 

And I may or may not be obsessed with Chunkys. So bad. You'd think I was still preggo!!!

We scheduled his christening and I bought this dress to wear. Hopefully it's everything I'm expecting!

On April 14th we celebrated One Montj with this guy, and were already almost at 2 months! It's amazing how quickly time passes!!

I slammed my finger in my car door, it closed, and then I yanked it out. That was fun. It took about 5 days for that to stop burning and throbbing. It's so nasty looking. 

Since this little man made a early entrance (4 weeks) Ted and I didn't have a chance to have our last date before baby like We planned. So my sweet mama watched Austin for us so we could spend some time together. And we both missed little man, but it was nice to just "be" with my husband. We went to the boardwalk, played arcade games, took a walk and ate boardwalk food. 

It was the great :)

So that's it for now. That's been life lately. My goals for the next few weeks are to read my "What to Expect the First Year" book, finish my Thank Yous, send out the birth announcements and try to convince Ted to relist the house alone than later. Oh. We diced the house we had a contract on and are looking to build new again.... We'll see how that progresses....

Also. Get back to blogging! Because I sure miss it!! 

Happy Thursday!

~Tiffany~